bad money drives out good

English

Etymology

Traditional sentiment, both in literal and metaphorical sense, dating to ancient works such as Aristophanes' The Frogs, and appearing in various forms in various Islamic and European medieval texts.

Proverb

bad money drives out good

1. Debased coinage (with low levels of precious metals) replaces purer coinage (with higher levels of precious metals).
2. People hoard good currency and other assets and attempt to pass inferior currency and assets to others in exchange.
3. (figurative, in organizations and labor markets) Overvalued mediocre talent replaces undervalued real talent.

Translations

debased coinage replaces purer coinage

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 劣幣驅逐良幣／劣币驱逐良币 (zh) (lièbì qūzhú liángbì)

• Japanese: 悪貨は良貨を駆逐する (akuka wa ryōka o kuchiku suru)
• Korean: 악화가 양화를 구축한다 (akhwa-ga yanghwa-reul guchuk-handa) (calque of Gresham's law)

mediocre talent drives away real talent

See also

• dollarization
• Gresham's law
• throw good money after bad